Matthew R. Perrine

Jayme Stone and Mansa Sissoko’s “Africa to Appalachia” is, by far, the most original release of 2008.

It all started when Stone, a Canadian banjo player, discovered that his instrument of choice hails from Africa. Intrigued, he dug deeper — and this album, which traces the routes of the banjo through the country, is the result.

To facilitate his “reimaginings” of traditional African music that didn’t make it across the ocean on slave ships between the 1700 and 1800s, Stone enlisted the help of Sissoko, a Malian griot (singer/storyteller who recites oral history) and kora player.

 “From the moment we met, the heart-to-heart, eye-to-eye connection was immediate, and we both knew a collaboration was in store,” Stone explains in the liner notes. “We crisscrossed; I spent seven weeks in Mali researching the banjo’s African roots, making field recordings and playing with incredible musicians everywhere I went. Meanwhile, Mansa moved from Bamako to Quebec City in the midst of winter to begin a new life with his family. The world is round, and things on it seem to happen circuitously.”

What’s more impressive than this album’s back story, however, is that these two master players managed to come together and produce something cohesive.

Nordic Angst attempted a similar endeavor with “Big Brother, Little Brother,” pairing traditional Norwegian folk music with a contemporary sound, but it failed to spark my interest like this record has.

Sure, there are moments on “Africa to Appalachia” that get a little tedious (the old-time Appalachia fiddle tune “Chinquapin Hunting,” for example, is hard to sit through sometimes), but, really, how many LPs don’t falter every once in a while?

Regardless, with highlights like “Ninki Nanka,” a mashup of the “Brokeback Mountain” and “Ravenous” soundtracks if I ever did hear one, Stone and Sissoko’s joint effort is definitely something more than just a pet project only world music enthusiasts will want to listen to.

Jayme Stone and Mansa Sissoko will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Reif Center in Grand Rapids. Call (218) 327-5780 or visit www.reifcenter.org for details. Hear highlights from the album at www.jaymestone.com.